Wood fuel, used either directly as firewood or transformed into charcoal, is the main source of energy for cooking for over 60 percent of households in sub-Saharan Africa, contributing to the food security and nutritional needs of millions of people. Yet, wood fuel production and trade remains an informal and understudied sector, and experts recognize that more research is needed to better understand the socio-economic dynamics across the value chain, from tree resource until final consumption.

As a result, the Center for International Forestry Research (CIFOR) has launched a new initiative to address key knowledge, technical and policy gaps in wood fuel value chains in Cameroon and the wider Congo Basin, Kenya and Zambia, with extensions into neighboring countries for cross-border trade. The “Governing Multifunctional Landscapes in Sub-Saharan Africa: Managing Trade-Offs Between Social and Ecological Impacts” (GML) project, is funded by the European Union and will be implemented by CIFOR and its partners until 2021.

“We know that due to the lack of alternative energy sources and growing charcoal demand from urban centers, wood fuel production will increase in the coming decades,” said Abdon Awono, a scientist at CIFOR. “This is why our project is very relevant. Wood fuel already has an enormous socioeconomic importance; it provides millions of jobs to the people who produce, transport, trade and sell it. With the expectation that the sector will continue growing, there is a great need to fully understand its importance, dynamics and consequences,” he added.

Read more on the site ForestsNews.cifor.org